


Home for the Holidays

by annas



Series: Bobby and John Fics (I'll come up with a better title). [5]
Category: X-Men (Movieverse), X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Still Have Powers, Christmas, First Meetings, Home for Christmas, M/M, Meet-Cute, Not Canon Compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:40:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28250295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/annas/pseuds/annas
Summary: John is travelling home from college for the Holidays when he's unexpectedly stranded on the train home. Who better to keep him company than Bobby?Or: Bobby and John meet travelling home for the holidays and soon discover they have far more in common than they might have expected.
Relationships: John Allerdyce/Bobby Drake
Series: Bobby and John Fics (I'll come up with a better title). [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2020682
Comments: 3
Kudos: 15





	1. Chapter 1

John didn't notice the stranger until twenty or so minutes of his journey had passed. He certainly wasn't one of those do-gooders who liked to make conversations with randomers on public transport. He liked to keep this head down, pouring over a novel and letting his music lull him into someplace beyond the train carriage. When he caught a glimpse of the guy sitting across from him, however, he knew instantly he wouldn't be doing a lot of reading.

He was taking the train back from the City back to upstate New York for Christmas. The college term had ended, so it was back to Westchester for the holidays with his aunt. He'd wanted to see his aunt, having missed her a lot, but there was nothing for him in Westchester now. His life was settled in New York. So as far as John could predict, he'd be spending the next few weeks watching Netflix at home and stuffing his face with Pringles. 

Shivering, John yawned and reached for his bag. It was a freezing night, so much so that his breath was collecting in a cloud before him, even inside the train. If only he'd been alone, he could have lit a small fire in his hand. He didn't feel like exposing himself to any in the carriage tonight though. Besides, he could be clumsy. He didn't want to set his seat on fire. 

Reaching for his sweater, John looked up briefly, only for his eyes to go wide. Directly across from him, sat the most beautiful man John had ever laid eyes upon. His eyes, a shocking shade of blue, were squinting down at his laptop with a look of frustration. 

Staring down at his book once more, John stared down hard at the words. He couldn't resist peaking up after only a few seconds had passed. The boy was wearing only a light shirt, fitting tightly over his broad shoulders. He was surprised he wasn't cold. Besides him, sat a plush leather sports bag, one exclusively worn by preppy kids. From his neatly trimmed haircut to his fresh white sneakers, this guy had rich kid written all over him. 

"Hey, sorry to bother you, but you don't have a pen I could borrow, do you?" 

John's body froze and he snapped his head upwards. Blue eyes was looking directly at him, staring expectantly. It took John a couple of seconds to even register that the guy was talking to him in particular. John blinked, then nodded with a small smile. Reaching in his bag once more, he fished out a pen and handed it over. 

"Thanks." The guy grinned, '"Sorry to disturb you. You looked pretty focused on your book." 

John shook his head, probably a little too quickly. 

"No." He mumbled, before clearing his throat, "No, trust me I've read it like a thousand times, don't worry about it." 

"Must be a pretty good book." The guy grinned, closing his laptop and leaning back in his seat. 

John couldn't quite tell if this guy actually wanted to talk to him or if he was just being polite. So he merely nodded, fumbling with the hem of his sweater awkwardly. 

Blue eyes didn't seem the slightest bit put off, however. 

"You can totally tell me to get lost if I'm annoying you. But let me guess, English Major?" 

Closing his book abruptly, John raised his eyebrows. The guy was tilting his head at John curiously. John fought hard to keep the blush from rising his cheeks. 

"How did you guess?" He said, folding his arms. 

The guy smiled triumphantly, clearly satisfied with himself. 

"Well, I've never known a sain person to read a book that big who wasn't a Lit Major. And I guess I'm just good at reading people." 

"So you're a telepath?" John asked and the guy chuckled. 

"No, not quite." He said, "I'm just observant." 

"Well, that doesn't seem fair, if you can read everything about me and I know nothing about you. I don't even know your name." He said, letting himself get a little more comfortable in the conversation. 

"That's fair." He shrugged, "I'm Bobby."

"John." He smiled, "You're in college too?" 

"Yeah, Columbia." Bobby said, "What about you?"

Of course, this guy went to Columbia. He had Ivy League written all over him. 

"NYU." He responded and Bobby nodded.

"Figures, I would have remembered seeing you around campus."

Something deep in John's gut fluttered and he shook his head. 

"Sure you would." John remarked, "What's your major. Let me guess actually, business." 

To John's surprise, Bobby groaned dramatically. 

"I wish. It's even more boring than that. I major in accounting. But I minor in Sociology. I'm not a complete right off." 

John was curious as to why Bobby was even concerned with what he thought. A stranger, on a random train ride. 

"I took a Sociology class this year actually, on mutant rights." He said. 

"No way, me too!" Bobby exclaimed enthusiastically. He certainly didn't look like someone who was super into mutant rights. 

"Why did you take it?" He pried, raising his eyebrow as if to challenge Bobby. 

"Why did you take it?" Bobby countered with a smirk. 

John rolled his eyes, smiling nonetheless. He wasn't exactly going to come out to Bobby. Not that he had anything to be ashamed of. It was a matter of sensibilities. 

"Anyway." Bobby continued, "Where you headed? And don't worry, I'm not a serial killer." 

Snorting, John shook his head. "That's exactly what a serial killer would say. Westchester." 

"No way, me too." Bobby grinned, tilting his head slightly as if to get a better look at John. 

"How don't I know you? You didn't go to Westchester High, right? Am I really that oblivious?" He garbled.

"No, no. I got shipped off boarding school. I barely know anyone in Westchester. My brother went to Westchester though, Ronny Drake?" Bobby said. 

"Rings a bell." He said. He was vaguely aware of someone with the last name Drake a few years below him. He wondered why Bobby hadn't gone to Westchester too, but he decided against prying into his personal business. "Small world." 

Bobby opened his mouth to respond, only to falter at the sound of the train coming to a halt. Narrow his eyes, he leaned over to peer out the train window. 

"Weird, we're not at any station." He pondered

John grumbled. 

"We better get moving soon. It's freezing in here." He moaned, tugging his sweater around him. "How are you not freezing?" 

"The cold doesn't bother me." Bobby said plainly, "But you're right. My mom is making tacos. I can't miss that." 

Much to both their annoyance, however, no sooner had Bobby spoke, when an announcement sounded over the loudspeaker. 

_"I'm sorry folks. We're having some mechanical difficulties. We're probably going to be stuck here for a while."_

"Damn it," John muttered. At least this would give him some more time to entertain Bobby. "I don't have any tacos, but I have Reeces Pieces?" 

The conversation that ensued flowed remarkably well and John hung onto every word that Bobby uttered. He wasn't at all the stuck-up asshole that John would have expected. In fact, he was remarkably down to earth, as refreshing to be around as a cool ocean breeze. 

It was after approximately forty-five minutes, that the unbearable cold finally snapped him. 

He'd just finished telling Bobby all the ins and outs of his teenage adolescence in Westchester when the speaker sounded for a second time. 

_"Really sorry folks, we're still trying to fix that mechanical faults. Sit tight."_

"Christ, I swear to God my fingers are going to fall off." He cursed.

John was barely exaggerating. His fingers had turned a sickly shade of blue. Bringing his hand to sit over his pocket, John felt the shape of his lighter through his pants. They were alone in the carriage and Bobby seemed super liberal. But you never really knew how people would react to mutant powers. The situation seemed entirely desperate however and he was desperate for some warmth on his skin. 

Gulping, John leaned back in his chair and glimpsed anxiously at Bobby. 

"So you know you said you took that mutant rights class..." John began and Bobby nodded through a mouth of chocolate, "You're cool with mutants?" 

Bobby spluttered on his chocolate, eyes alert and bright. Eventually managing to clear his throat, Bobby nodded firmly. 

"Of course. Some of my best friends are mutants." He said quickly, keen to dampen any suggestion of bigotry. 

"Good to know," John said with a slight smile. Reaching into his pocket, he drew out the lighter and lifted it above the table. 

"I don't think you're supposed to smoke in here," Bobby advised. John ignored him, igniting the lighter. He watched the flame flicker for a couple of seconds, before bringing the flame into his hand, suddenly calmed by the heat that soaked into his skin. 

Bobby gazed at him, mouth ajar. John stared back at him, holding his breath. Much to John's relief, Bobby's astonishment soon split into a wide smile.

Chuckling, he kept staring down at the flame. 

"No way." He breathed. Moving his hand over the table, he looked down for a moment, as if concentrating hard. Then, he drew his hand away to reveal a rose crafted entirely from ice. It was John's turn to gape at Bobby. 

"No fucking way, you're a mutant too?" John exclaimed. Bobby beamed back at him.

"I said I wasn't a telepath. Didn't say I couldn't do other things." He shrugged. 

"Well, it explains why you're wearing a shirt in December like a crazy person. I thought I was the only mutant in Westchester. I never met anyone else until I went to college." 

"Me neither." Bobby said, slightly more seriously, "That's why I got send away to boarding school, so I couldn't embarrass my parents in front of all the normal people in Westchester." 

John cringed, his gut twisting slightly. 

"So they're not cool with it?" He asked. 

"We're working on it." Bobby swallowed, '"I don't need them to approve anyway. I met a couple of really cool mutants at Columbia."

"There's a whole bunch of us at NYU." John grinned, "We should work something out when we're back in the city!"

To John's disappointment, the train suddenly groaned to life. He didn't want this conversation to end. Westchester was the next stop en-route. John let the flame die out in his hand. They didn't want any conductors coming into the carriage and spotting them. 

They arrived at Westchester station around ten-minutes later. Gathering up their belongings, the pair of them exited the train, hopping down onto the platform. 

"You need a ride into town?' Bobby asked, "My brother should be here, I'm sure he wouldn't mind." 

"I'm good." He insisted, "My aunt is picking me up." 

Bobby nodded, biting his lip. Neither of them appeared to want to move from where they were standing. Finally, Bobby looked down at John with a grin. It was only once they were standing that John had noticed how tall Bobby was. Or maybe John was short. That didn't matter, anyway. 

"Look, I'm gonna be swamped seeing my family until Christmas, but if you're around after that, it would be great to see you." 

John's heart was pounding in his mouth as Bobby spoke. He could barely believe what was transpiring. 

"I'd like that." John grinned with a blush, "I can show you what Westchester truly has to offer." 

"I can't wait." Bobby smiled. Reaching into his pocket, Bobby retrieved the pen he'd borrowed from John earlier. Uncapping it, he took John's hand gently. John didn't move, instead, relenting to Bobby's touch. Bobby moved closer, pressing the pen to John's skin and scrawling a succession of numbers onto John's palm. 

As he drew away, Bobby flashed John a devilish smile and tugged his bag onto his shoulder. 

"I'll see you soon, John." Said Bobby. 

It was only now that John realized Bobby had never even used the pen he'd asked for. Maybe this holiday in Westchester wouldn't be so bad after all. 


	2. Chapter 2

Shivering against the chill breeze, John wrapped his scarf tightly around his neck with a shiver. He was sitting on a bench in the center of Westchester, right in the heart of the entertainment district. Westchester was packed at this time of year, the shops and streets dressed in lavish ornaments that twinkled against the yellow light of the street lamps. John, however, wasn't here for the decorations. He was here for the one person that made braving the cold weather bearable. 

He and Bobby had been texting steadily back and forth since the train journey. He could barely believe his luck. Part of him had thought Bobby might just be using John to pass the time. Yet as soon as John had texted, his tongue between his teeth as he typed, Bobby had instantly replied. 

They'd been messaging for a couple of weeks, when Bobby had texted him out of the blue, with a message that instantly caught John's attention. 

Hey 

Know I said I couldn't meet up until after Xmas but are you free tonight?

don't worry if not :) 

Staring down at the message, John had blinked twice, just to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. 

Yeah, I'm free :)

Awesome, Bobby had replied, Meet me in the town square in 30?

So that's exactly where John was now, sitting on a park bench, awaiting Bobby's arrival. 

As he caught sight of Bobby, his gut twisted with a peculiar sense of longing. He'd only known Bobby a couple of weeks, yet he was all John could think about, as he filled his days with TV and novels. 

"Hey, stranger." Bobby beamed, as he neared John. Unbuttoning his coat, he tossed it over his arm, revealing the clothes underneath. He wore a crisp white shirt, not too dissimilar to the one he'd been wearing on the train, and a crisp blue tie. 

"Woah", John said, as Bobby slid into the booth, "I'm totally underdressed." 

Bobby smiled, sliding his jacket off his shoulders and throwing it aside. 

"Nope, I just came straight from my parent's holiday party." He told him, sinking back in his seat. His shoulders were raised slightly and he exhaled deeply. 

"I'm guessing it didn't go too well?" He asked

Bobby shook his head. 

"I don't want to bore you with it." He insisted, "How have your holidays been so far?"

"Honestly I couldn't tell you. My aunt is really into sherry." 

Bobby chuckled, "I'm jealous. She sounds cool. Did you hang it with any of your friends from around here?"

"I don't really have many friends around here, I wasn't exactly popular in high school." He shrugged. 

"That can't be true," Bobby said, raising his eyebrows. 

"No, it is." John swallowed, "I kind of had an umm...incident in high school. I set a desk on fire." 

"No way that was you!" Bobby exclaimed. John looked at him with bemusement. "Ronny told me about that happening a few years back, I had no idea you did that." 

John felt his cheeks rush scarlet and he squirmed in his seat. Bobby had clearly noticed the embarrassment he's caused, for he shuffled closer to John.

"No, no, if you think that was bad, I froze an entire swimming pool during a pool party. That's definitely worse." 

John threw his head back with laughter. The image of a younger Bobby waist-deep in his own ice was something spectacular. 

"Surely not, like isn't that kind of dangerous?" John asked.

"Yeah, like four people got frostbite. It was the worst day of my life." Bobby chuckled insisted. Standing abruptly, he pulled John to his feet. "I saw a place selling mulled wine a while back, you got a fake ID?" 

Bobby's eyes glittered, lulling John towards him with a magnetic force. 

Three glasses of mulled wine later, the pair found themselves back on the same bench, giggling to themselves merrily. Even without the alcohol, however, John would have been sure; he was completely obsessed with Bobby Drake. He was ruthlessly sarcastic, in a way that was simultaneously daring and charming. Not to mention, in that winter hat, he looked completely adorable. 

"I should have said." Bobby wheezed, his cheeks flushed pink, "I drank like two glasses of prosecco at my parents, I don't normally drink this much." 

"Bobby, you're in college, what else are you supposed to be doing?" John grinned. 

"Oh I don't know, assignments, work, so I can spend my life in a finance job that I hate." He said sarcastically, "We can't all do a degree we actually enjoy.' 

"Whatever, you never told me about your party, why did it suck?" John said. 

Bobby exhaled dramatically. John had a feeling he'd just unleashed a barrage of pent-up emotion. 

"My parents have this disgustingly obnoxious Christmas Eve party every year. I swear the sole purpose of it is just to show off to the neighbors. Anyway, I didn't wanna go, but I thought it could be a good way to sort things out you know? And then right before guests start to get there my Mom pulls me aside and tells me to shut my mouth about all the mutant stuff. It's not good enough I don't tell anyone I'm a mutant, I have to nod and smile when one of her guests says they should throw us all in jail." 

"That's fucked up.' John grimaced, his breath clouding before him. It must be getting pretty late now, not that either of them had noticed. 

"Yeah, I know." Bobby hiccuped, "Anyway, I said no. Cos I've got nothing to hide and I'm not going to let people tell me to my face I don't deserve rights because I'm a mutant. So I got really annoyed and froze the ham when my Mom wasn't looking. She kicked me out after that." 

"You froze the ham." John grinned in disbelief, "You're crazy." 

"I was drinking prosecco." Bobby stated, "I'm not liable for any of my actions. So now I'm gonna be super hungover on Christmas day and it's gonna be super awkward." 

"I think it was worth it." John said, letting himself lean against Bobby's broad shoulder, "You don't deserve to be spoken to like that. None of us do."

"Yeah, I think so too." Bobby nodded, "They're just going to have to get over me being a mutant. It's up to them now." 

"You just have to get through these holidays too. Once we're back in the city I can introduce you to all of my friends. They're great." John smiled. 

Bobby's eyes lit up. 

"Yeah about that. Don't get me wrong, I really wanna meet your friends at some point, but could we go out just the two of us first? You can show me everything your side of Manhattan has to offer." 

John cocked his head. The bustle of the street around them had died down, the only sound audible being the hum of Christmas carols somewhere in the distance. 

"Are you asking me on a date?" John asked, dutch courage charging through his veins. 

"No, I'm asking you on a second date. Unless you count the train as a date?" Bobby said. 

"Hmm, I'm not sure if the train makes the cut. But yeah, I'll go on a date with you Bobby, if I have to." He spoke dryly, mocking how Bobby often spoke. Bobby bit his lip, as he shook his head, clearly irritated at being beaten at his own game. 

"I mean, you don't have to, I can just walk away and we'd never see each other again." He spoke with a clear melodrama, his words melodic and dreamy. 

"Oh shut up." John grinned, "You're not gonna do that."

"How do you know?" Bobby smiled, those bright blue eyes electrifying John's every nerve ending. 

"I just do." He said. Leaning forward he touched his lips to Bobby's, letting himself fall completely into the kiss. Bobby's lips were ridiculously soft, brushing against John's delicately. 

As they finally drew apart, John grinned back at Bobby, letting his cheeks burn red. John had a feeling he wouldn't be waiting until New York to see Bobby again. 


End file.
